Watch the Relive video here:https://www.relive.com/view/vYvrwVYzxxO
On the Road – Distance 95km / 59mi | Elevation 1005m | 3297ft
As we left Kyoto the traffic was busy, especially with local cyclists going to work or dropping their children off at school, but Japanese drivers are almost always super polite. ( more on the Relive video).
With all our climbing done and dusted in the first 22kms, ( the climb was 8.7 km @ 5.8%), we had a beautiful descent and well earned flatter day today cruising along Lake Biwa.
We rode through some small towns and across rice paddy farms.
The Lake Biwa Ichi Cycling Route is renowned for its scenery of wooded avenues, pretty villages and cherry blossom but it can get quite busy! We cruised anti-clockwise to access the northern shores and stay to the quieter (relatively!) section of this bike route. The last 10 km into Lake Biwa had a solid row of cherry trees with blossoms in full bloom…754 of them!
There were many reasons to take this slowly, from the 2000 year old Shirahige Shrine…
…to sake breweries and an ancient restaurant that sells funazushi, a local style of sushi using fish that has been fermented for three years!! It is certainly an acquired taste, but one sushi-lovers shouldn’t miss the opportunity to try (sometimes it is good to be a vegetarian!), I liked it!
One of the oldest sake breweries in Japan
Riders Tom and Seth chose 3 types of sake for our tasting pleasure tonight after we toured the sake brewery
A large statue of Gulliver along the way, did he pass through here on his ‘travels’??….I’m glad I saw this before the sake!
Lake Biwa Ichi Cycling Route
Famous in Japan, we joined this route on our way today making for a relaxing lakeside ride to end the day.
Destination Lake Biwa
Situated in the center of Shiga Prefecture, the lake takes its name from its natural shape, which resembles a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute. With around 235 kilometers of shoreline to explore, Lake Biwa has plenty to do, from swimming and pleasure cruising to strolling and island-hopping.
Lake Biwa is Japan’s largest and believed to be one of the world’s oldest lakes, formed at least four million years ago. Known for its biodiversity, Lake Biwa is home to an array of endemic species, from fish and birds to rare mollusks.
Life is Good in Lake Biwa!
Sayonara
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